Starting the "Slump"

hey guys,

     jaynanne i got a few letters.  but not as many as you were saying. don't blame me.  oh man that would have been awesome if usu won!!  i forgot to say elder parrish has a scholarship to play there.  he extended so that he won't be home when the season started.  so he'll start next year.  dad i know what the chains are.  ha ha ha i can just imagine coach mac saying that all the students are pansies.  she was always yelling that at us in PE.  ha ha she is so cool.  it seems only natural for everyone to raise their hand and welcome a new member into the ward.  that's what we do everytime.  one time the conductor forgot to and someone on the stand stopped him and made him.  that's funny. 

     well like i said last time we had zone conference.  our zone is pretty small.  there's only 8 missionaries in 4 cities.  but we combined with the KL zone so it was all of west malaysia.  there was probably about 24 or 26 elders there.  it was a lot of fun to see everybody from KL.  i miss those guys.  PJ2 is still on fire just like i left it.  i was able to see some members from there too.  they are so cool.  they were a lot nicer to me now that i am not down there.  our zone of 8 stayed at the senior couple's big house.  the house used to be a church so it is pretty big.  we played ping pong and stuff.  i met some of them for the first time.  they were all nice but we do have some definite weirdo's in our zone.   ha ha we are the ipoh zone and it's been said that we are the ipoh creepo's.  ha ha very fitting for some.  the browns made us french toast one morning and pancakes the next.  sweet.  the meetings were good.  the assistants actually gave a pretty good training and president's was good like always.  i took a lot of notes.  i really like talking about missionary work.  it is quite inspiring.  actually putting that talk into action is hard.  we have so many low moments that it is frustrating.  oh well we push on.  the meeting went pretty late because the general authorities could only talk to us at night because they gave a youth fireside.  i was happy to see my most recent, recent convert christina at the youth thing.  that's awesome.  she's like 13. i think she had a lot of fun.  elder gong is a really nice guy.  he gave a good talk.  he did this little scout camp type thing where he sad watch close and then said this little ryhme and used his hands and then you had to try to copy him.  i read him like a book.  all you had to do was do the thing and then put your hands together and down at the end.  he asked if anyone wanted to try so i volunteered and nailed it.  i hope i didn't steal his thunder.  nobody else got it for a few minutes.  but then everyone that did know it did it at once and it was pretty obvious and then everyone else finally figured it out.  he read mormon 1:4 or something that says mormon was "quick to observe" and that we all must be quick to observe.  it was good.  the other guy also gave a good talk but i was way sleepy.  he basically said you can't desire baptisms for the sake of success.  you have to desire them out of love for those you teach.  it was a good point.  that night the ap's and the sabah zl's and the singapore zl's slept at the brown's too and we played this game called mafia.  it was a blast.

Beautiful Butterworth Sunset

     the next day was a meeting called zone leader council.  i don't know if i said but me and kelley are zone leaders.  so the zl's from kl butterworth kk and singapore all met up for a training with president and the ap's.  i think it is monthly meeting.  this one was way good.  better than zone conference.  president is a lot more clear and to the point with us because we've been out for a while i guess.  we talked about inviting people to make commitments.  we talked about the difference between administering and ministering.  i can't remember all of the details right now but it was good.  i learned a lot.  at the end they call on a few people to bear their testimony and of course i got called on.  i figured i would be so i was thinking about what i could share.  i just talked about how good it feels to feel the spirit and that the most memorable times i have felt the spirit have been when bearing my testimony or when someone else was bearing their testimony.  i told of two times that we were teaching and felt the spirit so strong.  i also said how awesome it was that my recent converts were at the temple right then.  i still think that is so awesome.  i was brought to tears.  also the night before when elder gong bore his testimony i had a really clear impression.  he was saying how he knew that God and Jesus Christ have bodies of flesh and bone.  right then i just felt that is definitely true.  i could just imagine them both standing up in front of us with elder gong walking around.  it was so clear.  i know that God is real.  He's up there.  it's not just something we theorize about but for sure They live!  i am so thankful for the gospel and i love bearing my testimony about it.  you know those times when you just feel the spirit so strong and you know for sure that that thing is right?  i love that.  later i had a good interview with president clark.  he is pleased with my work so that is good.  i'm really enjoying the mission right now. 

     oh president told us that just the day before that elder dass (remember i served with him in singapore) was riding his bike in kuching and he rode past some guys on the side of the road and they whacked him with a metal bar and he went unconsious and they stole his bike and his money he just got out of the bank.  ha ha nuts.  his companion was just ahead so he didn't notice until it was too late.  dass did get a punch in but they got away and he was hospitalized.  he's good now no problems but sister clark is freaking out.  crazy malaysia.

The shoe shelves at church

     we've been doing a lot of knocking lately but it's ok we've found a few people.  it'll pay off soon.  i have a different view about knocking now a days.  i don't dread it like i used to.  it can be effective if you make it so.  well things are going as good as usual here.  i'm alive, i'm safe, i'm healthy, and we just got a waffle iron!  this morning i beat elder kelley in three games of squash.  it was tiring.  how's the new school year.  how is spencer doing now that he's a big bad junior hey and mollie is also in the middle of her school at 8th grade.  11th grade was so fun.  how's oskar at the top of the totem pole in noe?  don't let it go to his head.  i love you.  the church is true!  love each other.  don't fight.  i'll be back soon.  i heard the mission goes bump(6 months) hump(12 months) and slump(18 months).  i'm on the slump.  before i know it i'll be knocking on the door.  you better be ready.  have a good week!

elder petersen